Featured Scholar:
Ted Lin
1999 - 2000 University Scholar
Mentor: Martha Campbell-Thompson
College of Medicine
Often times when children are asked what they want to be when they grow up, they answer, "a doctor." Ted Lin had this response when he was an elementary school student, and he is in the process of making this dream a reality. Ted has already delved into the field of medical research and, through his interdisciplinary degree in pharmacology, he has pursued studies in chemistry, biology, and genetics. His research with the USP has focused on colon cancer prevention. "Cancer is one of those major diseases that researchers have been struggling to find effective treatment and prevention methods for," he says. "It's so hard to determine exactly how it develops and then how we can develop drugs to treat it."
Ted has always had an interest in science and math, and he also enjoys helping people. Therefore his decision to become a doctor is a logical choice. He is from Orange Park, and his dad is an obstetrician and gynecologist. Ted says even though his father encouraged him and his brother to be whatever they wanted to be, he always recommended medicine as a future profession. "I didn't really feel pressured by my dad to become a doctor, but I know he wants me to." His brother is pursuing a career in law, and Ted jokingly says his dad still has one son who will "hopefully follow in his footsteps."
Even though Ted's eventual goal in medicine is to work directly with patients and possibly become a surgeon, he also has great respect for the research field. "The only experience I had with research was what I had seen on television or read about in magazines, but I didn't really know what it was all about until I started working with my mentor," he says. "There is so much that goes into research. I've had to learn to think about things in new ways and when something doesn't work, think of a different approach -- which isn't always easy."
Ted's mentor, Martha Campbell-Thompson, encouraged him to work on his own and think independently. The research they conducted dealt with the roles that estrogen and vitamin D play in preventing colon cancer. Some of their findings suggest that estrogen treatment by itself or in combination with vitamin D increases calcium uptake, which could possibly lead to colon cancer prevention.
Ted's interest in immunology has led him to pursue a second research project dealing with disease prevention. Currently he is working with Thomas Rowe on determining a viable target so a more effective vaccination for malaria can be developed. A vaccine already exists, but an improved version is needed because there are mutations in the disease that make it difficult to develop an effective prevention method. "We're trying to pinpoint something in the malaria-causing parasite that won't change or mutate. Then we may be able to prevent its spread."
In addition to staying on top of his classes and spending about 12-15 hours a week in the lab, Ted participates in the "Friends for Life" program in which he works with children at Shands Hospital who have leukemia. Every week he visits and plays with the kids and also helps organize public awareness campaigns that educate and inform people about cancer.
Ted is also busy applying to medical schools around the
country and should receive a response in the spring. Even though his parents
would like him to stay fairly close to home, he says he is ready to see
other parts of the world. "My time at UF has been time well spent, and
I wouldn't change much, but I'm ready for a change of scenery."
Photo by Jane Dominguez
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